Chandigarh, May 20 (IANS) Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to save fuel and adopt sustainable travel habits, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday travelled in an electric bus to reach the venue of a public event.

Speaking to IANS, the Punjab Governor, who is also the Administrator of Chandigarh, announced that a ‘No Vehicle Day’ will be followed by him as well as the staff of his office every Wednesday in order to set a precedent for the citizens to follow.

“First, if anyone wants to start a new initiative, those in high positions should follow it themselves. This gives moral strength when we ask the public to follow it, and it also makes it easier for people to adopt.”

“We have started this initiative in our Union Territory (Chandigarh),” he added.

Kataria said that school and college students in the Union Territory will also be asked to use bicycles, walk, or use public transport once a week, i.e. every Wednesday.

“There are thousands of students here; if each of them saves one litre of petrol and diesel in a month, it would be extremely beneficial,” he stated.

The Punjab Governor was hopeful that through such efforts, people would be influenced to follow the measures.

“We will follow this every Wednesday. All of us will face this adversity together and won’t allow the country’s development to come to a halt,” he asserted.

“All officers in our Union Territory would follow this initiative. Everyone will either come by government transport, by bicycle, or on foot, every Wednesday,” Kataria later told reporters

“Today is the first Wednesday of this implementation,” he added.

Oil marketing companies have revised fuel prices for the second time in less than a week amid a sharp rise in international crude oil prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region and concerns over disruptions in global oil supply routes.

Following the latest revision, the price of petrol increased by 86 paise per litre while diesel became costlier by 83 paise per litre.

–IANS

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